Due: 9th June
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.
What is the food of the leader? It is knowledge. It is communication.
Module Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Understand the key elements of high-performing teams.
- Develop strategies for building trust and fostering collaboration within teams.
- Understand and apply the principles of shared accountability within a team context.
- Identify and address potential barriers to team effectiveness.
- Develop and implement strategies for creating a positive and supportive team culture.
High Performing Leaders are ‘Networked Leaders’ who build leadership capacity in individuals, and in institutions, through enhancing professional relationships. Partnerships are based on the importance of maximising potential, and harnessing the ongoing commitment and energy needed to meet personal and professional goals.
High Performing Leaders follow a process of reflection, introspection and then connection. Through coaching and guidance, they decipher their strengths, areas for development and focused improvement.
As school leaders reflecting on your own leadership, and ways in which you can more effectively facilitate learning, the goal of this korero is to work with each other as coaches and mentors, creating deep learning relationships within professional practice.
One of the essential ingredients of high performing individuals, teams and organisations is creativity (Basadur, 2004). Being creative means releasing talent and imagination. It also means taking risks and, in some cases, standing outside the usual or accepted way of doing things. High performing leaders push boundaries; they seek new ways of seeing, interpreting, understanding and questioning.
Relational Trust
“High trust relationships exist when leaders are respected for their deep educational knowledge, their actions and values, and the way they engage respectfully with others with empathy and humility, fostering openness in discussions. Leaders have good emotional intelligence and self-awareness.”
– Educational leadership capability framework, Education Council, 2018.
Trust provides a strong foundation for effective working relationships which, ultimately, has a positive impact on student achievement. Trust has been shown time and time again to have a huge benefit in leading change and in creating great teams. Teams and schools with trusting relationships have staff who are open to sharing practice, taking risks and sharing what is and isn’t going well in their teaching. However, it does not happen by accident and it is not built in the same way for every person, depending on their personal narrative. As a middle leader, it is important to intentionally work to build trust with colleagues, whānau and community.
- Reading 1: Trust in educational leadership settings – https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Leadership-capability-framework/High-trust-relationships#:~:text=High%20trust%20relationships%20exist%20when,emotional%20intelligence%20and%20self%2Dawareness.
- Reading 2: “Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for School Reform” B. Schneider. – https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/trust-in-schools-a-core-resource-for-school-reform
- Reading 3: “How the Best Leaders Build Trust” S. Covey. – https://www.leadershipnow.com/CoveyOnTrust.html
Collaborative Teams
Reading 4: https://www.arts.on.ca/oac/media/aire/Documents/IdeasIntoActionBulletin3.pdf
Reading 5: Collective teacher efficacy – https://visible-learning.org/2018/03/collective-teacher-efficacy-hattie/
Additional Resources:
– Working effectively with iwi and hapū, Melanie Taite-Pitama: https://vimeo.com/242861287
– Legacy – 15 Lessons in Leadership, by James Kerr (2013). Chapter 6 pp 74-83
– Open-to-Learning Conversations- Relationships and Trust, Viviane Robinson, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_l5-HKIR1s
Optional Resources:
– Connecting with Māori Communities; Whānau, Hapū and Iwi, Mere Berryman and Therese Ford, 2014:
https://kep.org.nz/assets/resources/site/module8-v20a-up-16Apr15-w-image_5Jan16.pdf
– Robertson, J. (2015). Think-piece on leadership education in New Zealand. Leadership for communities of learning: Five think pieces. https://teachingcouncil.nz/assets/Files/Leadership-Strategy/Leadership-for-Communities-of-Learning-Five-Think-Pieces.pdf
- “Five Faces of Trust: An Empirical Confirmation in Urban Elementary Schools.” – W. Hoy and M. Tschannen-Moran. – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NBTBXVSjokVr_RPx3Qlze-Ao3E1m6XWI/view?usp=sharing
Task:
Reflect on the readings and identify one thing that you could do in your role to improve the function of your team. What would you do and what impact would you expect that to have?
Assessment:
- Completion of all readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Submission of reflection on the forum.
21 Responses
It’s fantastic to hear how much the readings affirmed your belief in trust as a core principle for high-performing leaders, Leanne. You’ve clearly identified a key area where your team’s well-being and effectiveness could be boosted. By asking the right questions and empowering your team to decide on a shared planning approach where each member focuses on a key learning area, you’ve not only improved their well-being but also directly contributed to improved student engagement and outcomes through a stronger, integrated curriculum. This success in building trust and collaboration sets a brilliant foundation for your next steps, particularly as you look to build agency around assessment practices, OTJs, and consistent reporting of student achievement. It sounds like you’re fostering a truly cohesive and impactful team environment!
These readings confirm what I always thought true, having trust within your team makes for a more effective and well-oiled kura. I have seen this time and time again, even outside of the education sector where I worked previously. The workplaces that hummed were the ones that had a good amount of trust across the board. We all knew our jobs and responsibilities and we carried them out.
I especially resonated with the reading that said ‘Relational trust is grounded in the social respect that comes from the kinds of social discourse that take place across the school community. Respectful exchanges are marked by genuinely listening to what each person has to say and by taking these views into account in subsequent actions. Even when people disagree, individuals can still feel valued if others respect their opinions.’
I still vividly remember a team meeting where two colleagues had conflicting views on how to deliver a literacy unit. The conversation was robust, respectful and ended without either of them losing any mana. At it’s core were two teachers who just wanted the best for the students and they didn’t lose sight of that during the conversation.
And I think that is what is important to remember for me and something that I will continue to work on. It is sometimes easy to lose sight of the big picture – what is best for the students. Keeping that in mind when having difficult conversations with your colleagues is important. And explicitly stating it during the conversation as well if it feels like the conversation is getting off-track and/or turning personal.
Having check-in’s with your team is important as well. A time where you are both away from your computers or the classroom so you can dedicated your time to being involved in the conversation. Not a time where someone could walk into your office and disrupt the meeting. If things aren’t going good or if you need longer…taking it off-site works well.
It’s great to hear how much you value trust within a team, and how you’ve seen its power both in education and beyond. Your connection to the idea of relational trust grounded in social respect truly hits the mark, especially your vivid memory of that robust, respectful literacy discussion.
You’ve highlighted a crucial point for all leaders: keeping the students at the forefront during challenging conversations. Explicitly stating “what’s best for the students” is a powerful way to bring a discussion back on track if it veers off course. Your insights on dedicated check-ins away from distractions, and even taking conversations off-site when needed, are excellent practical strategies for fostering that strong, trusting team environment.
My role is working on implementation of a structured literacy and numeracy approach school wide, rather than a team leader role this year working with a smaller team. One thing that resonated with me given my current role in curriculum implementation is from John Hattie’s recording. ”Teachers working together to have appropriately high expectations of what a years growth for ones years input should look like, fed with the evidence of the impact. Ensuring a combined belief that teachers cause learning.”
This aligned with our online PLG conversation around Rob Rush’s five elements that lead to fulfillment. Using the GROWTH coaching methodology that my school uses, how do I ensure that the teaching and learning rubrics that we are creating to support the implementation of the new curriculum, gives teachers ownership of their classroom programme to ensure that they trust the process and maintain fulfillment of their role as teacher, given the added pressures of adapting to a new curriculum.
I feel that my role is to ensure that the early adopters are supported to become advocates of the new rubrics and also that I get alongside those who are unsure, to provide them with a safe space to share concerns, reflections and take that feedback onboard as we look at implementation for 2026.
In regard to the year’s growth in John Hattie’s recording, I feel my role is to clearly communicate the expectations of the curriculum within each phase, so that evidence can be collected by both teachers and learners to demonstrate the impact of deliberate acts of teaching and learning to show progress.
It’s great to hear how deeply you’re engaging with your new role in curriculum implementation, particularly with structured literacy and numeracy. Your focus on enabling teachers to feel ownership and fostering a safe space for all voices will be key to successful adoption. Clearly communicating expectations to show the impact of learning will empower both kaiako and ākonga.
Task: Reflect on the readings and identify one thing that you could do in your role to improve the function of your team. What would you do and what impact would you expect that to have?
Reflection:
After working through the Module 5 readings, what stood out to me is just how essential trust is for effective leadership and team success. It’s not something that happens by chance—trust builds through small, consistent actions, emotional intelligence, and clear, honest communication.
One area I need to work on is being more intentional about checking in with my team. At the moment it can be a challenge—between running my own classroom, mentoring student teachers, supporting beginning teachers, meeting the needs of students with high SEN requirements etc, I often don’t have the time to connect with my colleagues as often or as meaningfully as I’d like.
To help with this, I’m planning to schedule short, regular check-ins—just small, informal touchpoints to see how things are going and offer support where needed. We also have a useful document in place already—our MATE (Mutually Agreed Team Expectations). It’s a collaborative agreement about how we work together as a team. Reflecting here has highlighted how now’s a great time to revisit it and have this scheduled on our team meeting agenda. It’s a dynamic document, and going back to it will help realign how we’re working together and give us a shared foundation for those conversations about collaboration and team culture.
I also really appreciated Reading 5 – the idea of collective teacher efficacy—the belief that, as a team, we truly can make a difference in student learning. That’s something I want to continue nurturing in our team. When we trust each other, communicate openly, and stay connected to our shared purpose, we’re stronger, and our students benefit too.
**Expected Impact…
*Earlier identification of challenges and more proactive support
*Stronger, more connected relationships across the team
*A culture of trust where everyone feels valued and heard
It’s great to hear how much the readings affirmed your belief in trust as essential for effective leadership. Your plan to schedule short, regular check-ins and revisit your MATE document is a smart, practical way to build stronger connections and align your team. From our conversation yesterday, it sounds like your team is really humming. Nurturing that belief in collective teacher efficacy will undoubtedly lead to a more connected, effective team and better outcomes for your students.
I found these readings thought-provoking. Often in leadership, you can sense that something isn’t quite right within a team, but it’s not always clear what has led to the current dynamics. Reflecting on my own experiences, I’ve both led and been part of teams where relational trust was low, and I’ve seen firsthand the impact that has on collaboration, morale, and outcomes. These readings, coupled with my lived experience, reinforced the critical role that trust plays in team effectiveness. Building and maintaining trust isn’t straightforward—it requires time, consistency, and a recognition that people develop trust in different ways.
I found strong links between the literature and what Aaron Ironside shared in PLG 2 about the importance of being your authentic self. Trust can’t be built through inauthentic behaviour; it relies on leaders being consistent and genuine. This aligns with Covey’s idea of a “trust dividend” from How the Best Leaders Build Trust—the notion that small, consistent actions over time are what ultimately strengthen trust within teams.
At the beginning of the year, in my role leading our reading PLG, we gathered both staff and student voice to better understand what was working and where we needed to grow. Staff shared that planning and sourcing appropriate reading resources were areas of challenge. In response, our PLG worked to develop accessible, ready-to-use activities and planning. We were intentional about grounding this in student voice to ensure a clear sense of purpose and to support teacher buy-in. Focusing on our ‘why’ We also maintained an open-door approach, inviting teachers to observe lessons and see the resources in action. Importantly, we modelled risk-taking ourselves—acknowledging when things didn’t go perfectly—to reinforce that mistakes are part of growth and that perfection is not the expectation. This, I believe, has helped to nurture relational trust over time and led to teacher buy in.
Moving forward, and reflecting on Hattie’s research around collective teacher efficacy, I believe a valuable next step would be to gather follow-up student voice. Now that these changes have been in place for a couple of terms, it’s important to ‘feed the belief with evidence’ that we are making a difference, as Hattie notes. Sharing student feedback with teachers about the shifts they’ve made and the impact those have had will help reinforce a sense of progress and purpose. I would expect this to strengthen collective efficacy across our team, as teachers see tangible evidence of the difference their efforts have made in a relatively short period of time and hopefully inspire them to continue making changes to better the progress of our tamariki.
That’s a powerful reflection, Siouxzan, highlighting the critical role of relational trust and how your own experiences resonate with the literature. It’s fantastic how you’ve applied these principles in your reading PLG, gathering staff and student voice and modelling risk-taking to build trust and buy-in. Your plan to gather follow-up student voice is an excellent next step, as “feeding the belief with evidence” is crucial for strengthening collective teacher efficacy and inspiring continued effort for your tamariki.
Reflect on the readings and identify one thing that you could do in your role to improve the function of your team.
There is a need to provide opportunities for important conversations in relation to
a. the team direction
b. the vision for change
c. what are the areas where you/ we can affect the change process
There is the need for open and focused communication with the ‘right’ person and without these opportunities these conversations are missed or had with the wrong people or not allowed to progress. Tricky conversations can often open opportunities. What would you do and what impact would you expect that to have?
Plan for open and focused communication to raise questions and concerns. (Address the elephant of so much change in a short time.)
Allow for time to process and reflect on the questions, concerns and intellectual/pedagogical conflicts. Keep the adage ‘how is it good for the team’!
FOLLOW UP
Plan for regular opportunities to express thoughts, ideas, concerns.
Plan with check ins – team and individuals, as to what is working, what needs to change, who can help.
Retain the focus on our why : to provide the best learning opportunities and outcomes for all the students in front of us?
Thank you, Suzanne. That’s a really insightful and practical plan for navigating change and fostering crucial conversations within your team. You’ve clearly identified the core need for structured, open communication to manage the significant changes, ensuring that important discussions about team direction, vision for change, and areas for action are never missed or misdirected. As you know, by allowing time to process questions and conflicts, and by consistently retaining the focus on your ‘why’ – providing the best learning opportunities and outcomes for all students – you’ll foster increased trust , leading to greater buy-in and smoother implementation of change.
Identify one thing that you could do in your role to improve the function of your team:
These readings really emphasise the importance of relational trust in any role within our kura and across kura. Reading discusses the importance of sustaining trust by navigating difficult conversations with honesty while keeping a collaborative problem solving approach. This is one area I have been, and am currently, working on by approaching difficult conversations with honesty and by staying “above the line”- using a solutions focussed approach. Developing a culture within your team where this is the norm would also improve the function of the team, but it is easier said then done. This takes time and includes lots of “walk the talk”, and being amongst your team members in the hard and easy times, celebrating successes along the way, and coaching and motivating along the way too.
What would you do:
Explicitly develop the team culture around clarity, communication, expectations etc. and revisit in team meetings throughout the year. Dedicate time to this as well, for team development, where we can openly talk about an issue or celebrate successes and acknowledge these in each other.
What impact would you expect that to have:
The impact I would expect to have on the team would be positive. Clarity is kind and I think when things are clear and every team member completely understand the purpose and the ‘why’ behind things, then everyone is on the same page all the time. This is when good communication becomes easy, clear and second nature, and the team function, culture and expectations are followed and exceeded.
It’s great to hear how much the readings resonated with you, affirming the importance of relational trust across your kura. Your commitment to approaching difficult conversations with honesty and staying “above the line” with a solutions-focused approach is excellent. You’ve clearly recognised that building a team culture where this is the norm takes time and consistent effort, requiring you to “walk the talk” and be present with your team through all challenges and successes. Your plan to explicitly develop your team culture around clarity, communication, and expectations, and to regularly revisit this in team meetings, is a proactive step that will lead to a more effective team function, stronger culture, and higher expectations being consistently met- and even exceeded!
My key takeaway from the readings is the paramount importance of high-trust relationships and their direct positive influence on student success. I was particularly interested in the idea that sustaining trust can be harder than building it, especially in middle leadership. We often need to have difficult conversations, and doing so in a “mana-enhancing” way—being clear and direct without being abrupt or vague—is crucial. I also learned that relational trust is built through daily interactions, like simple check-ins. When trust is high, people feel safe to be open and honest about what’s working and what isn’t, without fear of it becoming personal.
Moving forward, I’m committed to scheduling regular check-ins with teachers, even if it’s just a quick morning chat. My hope is that this will lead to teachers feeling more comfortable sharing challenges when tough conversations arise, allowing us to co-construct solutions and ultimately enhance our learners’ achievements.
It’s great to hear how much the readings resonated with you, especially the paramount importance of high-trust relationships and their direct impact on student success. Your focus on sustaining trust through “mana-enhancing” difficult conversations and understanding that trust is built in daily interactions like simple check-ins is an insightful plan.
After completing the readings, I reflected on the part that I do well and what our school has modelled as best practice in terms of collective culture. I feel that I put a lot of focus on trust within my team and what best practice looks like. As a school, we are focusing on ‘enhanced collective decision-making’, which means all decisions about teachers, planning, and assessment are made together to get full buy-in.
The area that I think I could focus on is ‘collective teacher efficacy’. We all plan together and implement the same teaching and practices, but I don’t know if we have thought about our collective efficacy or the belief that we can make a difference. I think I need to work more with my team to build that shared belief that we can make a difference and have a positive impact on student outcomes through all our teaching and planning. The result would be confident children who see that they can be successful, and their achievement in learning and socially will increase.
It’s great to hear you’re reflecting on your team’s strengths, particularly the focus on trust and best practice, and your school’s commitment to enhanced collective decision-making. That collaborative approach to planning and assessment is a fantastic foundation.
You’ve highlighted a really key area for growth in collective teacher efficacy. It’s insightful that while you share planning and practices, you’re looking to build a deeper, shared belief in your collective power to impact student outcomes. By nurturing this, you’ll undoubtedly see more confident children and an increase in both their learning achievement and social well-being.
These readings emphasise the critical role of trust in effective teams. They highlight that trust fosters collaboration, innovation, and a willingness to take risks, ultimately leading to improved outcomes. One thing I could do (more) is to demonstrate vulnerability and transparency regarding my own challenges and learning processes.
Things I’ll keep in mind:
-Be open about areas where I need support or input.
-Be more transparent on my own learning/reflecting journey
-Communicate the “why” behind decisions, even when they are unpopular or challenging.
Impact I would expect this to have:
-Increased “emotional” safety
-Stronger team cohesion and collaboration
-Enhanced problem-solving and innovation
-Greater buy-in and commitment
-Improved learning culture
I think what you have said about ‘keeping in mind’ is really reflected. I am also learning how important it is to communicate the ‘why,’ and I think when people understand the ‘why,’ they are more happy to jump on the waka with you.
Thank you for sharing your reflection on the critical role of trust, Melody. Your commitment to demonstrating vulnerability and transparency about your own challenges and learning journey, along with communicating the “why” behind decisions, is a truly impactful leadership approach. The impacts you expect are spot on: increased emotional safety, stronger team cohesion and collaboration, enhanced problem-solving and innovation, greater buy-in and commitment, and ultimately, an improved learning culture.
These readings confirmed my belief that high performing leaders get results because they understand the core business principle of trust. Trust in one’s self as well as the ability to build strong relationships at every level and with the various stakeholders. When there is high relational trust, companies work more efficiently with improved outcomes and rigorous frameworks in place to support best practice. I completely agree with Bryk and Schneider’s 2003 research article that noted the importance of ‘respect, personal regards, competence and integrity’ as the pillars of improving trust in school leaders and the quality of student’s learning.
One thing I have done to improve the function of my team is introduce integrated, collaborative planning. From my observations in Term 1 each member in my team was planning independently on a weekly basis. Being new to the school this year, I started looking at areas where I could improve wellbeing and students outcomes. In our team meetings I allocated time for collaborative problem solving. What was working well? What wasn’t? My team identified that their wellbeing was quite low with the time taken on weekends to complete planning and that they felt the effects of working in isolation.
By asking the right questions my team confirmed to me that they would like to plan collaboratively with each team member taking on one key learning area instead of having to plan for all. This commitment to a closer style of working together has been successful. With a strong, integrated curriculum this term we are noticing improved student engagement and outcomes. From building this level of trust and collaboration my next steps with my team will be looking at the current assessment cycle and moderation (formative and summative) to build agency around assessment practices and OTJs and thus consistent reporting of student achievement across the grade.